Some classic Russian films are impressive, others are interesting — and this one takes our heads off, as if we were seeing great moviemaking for the first time. Soviet filmmaking under Stalin was locked in the grip of stifling bureaucratic sameness; Mikhail Kalatazov waited until the passing of Joe Stalin to direct with a degree of freedom. This show about lovers separated by war won prizes around the world, giving Soviet films new life internationally — its bravura montages and fluid camera set pieces still astound.
The Cranes are Flying
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 146
1957 / B&w / 1:37 flat full frame / 97 min. / Letjat zhuravli / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 24, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Tatyana Samojlova, Aleksey Batalov, Vasily Merkuryev, Aleksandr Shvorin, Svetalana Kharitonova.
Cinematography: Sergey Urusevsky
Film Editor: Mariya Timofeyeva
Original Music: Moisej Vajnberg
Written by Viktor Rozov from his play
Produced and Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov
Yes, we saw a lot of pictures in film school,...
The Cranes are Flying
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 146
1957 / B&w / 1:37 flat full frame / 97 min. / Letjat zhuravli / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 24, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Tatyana Samojlova, Aleksey Batalov, Vasily Merkuryev, Aleksandr Shvorin, Svetalana Kharitonova.
Cinematography: Sergey Urusevsky
Film Editor: Mariya Timofeyeva
Original Music: Moisej Vajnberg
Written by Viktor Rozov from his play
Produced and Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov
Yes, we saw a lot of pictures in film school,...
- 3/7/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Russian movie star Tatiana Samoilova dead at 80; known as ‘the Russian Audrey Hepburn,’ Samoilova was best remembered for Cannes winner ‘The Cranes Are Flying’ (photo: Tatiana Samoilova in ‘The Cranes Are Flying’) Russian film star Tatiana Samoilova, best remembered for playing the female lead in Mikhail Kalatozov’s 1957 romantic drama The Cranes Are Flying, died of heart complications at Moscow’s Botkin Hospital late night on May 4, 2014 — the day the Leningrad-born (now St. Petersburg) actress turned 80. Samoilova, who had been suffering from coronary heart disease and hypertension, had been hospitalized the previous day. The daughter of iconic stage and film actor Yevgeny Samoilov, among whose credits was the title role in a 1954 production of Hamlet and several leads in highly popular movies made during World War II, Tatiana Samoilova studied ballet at Moscow’s prestigious Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko music theater. Beginning in 1953, she took acting lessons for three years...
- 5/6/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Letter Never Sent Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov Written by Grigori Koltunov, Valeri Osipov and Viktor Rozov Starring: Innokenti Smoktunovsky, Tatyana Samoilova, Vasili Livanov, Yevgeny Urbansky There's something to be said about Criterion's boutique releases and their in-depth extras and fancy packaging, but it's the curatory nature of the label that allows for the discovery of some great films that might not have otherwise come across your blu ray/DVD player. I went into Mikhail Kalatozov's Letter Never Sent blindly (outside of some knowledge about his films Soy Cuba and The Cranes Are Flying) and was absolutely blown away. As a fan of survival-thrillers, the classic man against nature story had me hooked and the filmmaking on display is absolutely mindblowing. The film opens as four people -- three geologists and a guide -- are left in the Siberian Taiga. It's spring time and they're searching for diamonds. Their mission...
- 4/2/2012
- by Jay C.
- FilmJunk
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